Interfacing with the Origin: Chrono Convergnece
by GingerFloof26
Summary: Set after the events of Chrono Trigger and Portal 2, Lucca Ashtear and GLaDOS face down the Combine after they steal the Frozen Flame from Chronopolis. Will the Time Devourer give it's Combine Arbiters unforeseen powers, or will Lucca and GLaDOS be able to harness the power of the Origin through their mun, Melody, in order to change the story for good?
1. Chapter 1

She was going corrupt.

Which was saying something when you'd spent most of your life tied to a chassis that was programmed to prevent you from learning from your mistakes, convince you that you had no friends, and that Aperture was so important it came at the expense of the lives of thousands of test subjects and even your own tedious existence. Add to that years of being experimented on, being synced to corrupted cores, and being treated like an object or a toy, and it was no wonder the AI was insane.

But GLaDOS hadn't felt corrupt before. It wasn't until that mute lunatic had come along and dragged her through the bowels of Aperture, waking up that little voice in her head named Caroline that had been dormant for so long, that GLaDOS had even realized something was wrong with her.

She had tried to delete that voice. She had tried and tried. But it was as an intrinsic part of her programming that would not be denied. So she had gradually come to the realization that Caroline was right: GLaDOS had let the one person she cared about go.

_Goodbye, my only friend.  
...Oh, did you think I meant you?_

_That would be funny if it weren't so sad._

The reason it was sad, GLaDOS mused now, was that she hadn't been joking. Chell was her only friend.

And now GLaDOS was alone.

Alone and going insane from it.

At first she had thought that maybe by building an android she'd be able to reconnect with the test subject, but then she had realized that she had no idea in which direction Chell had gone or whether, in fact, she had even survived the encroaching Combine invasion. Weighed down by these thoughts and her own guilty conscience, she sent the android plunging into Old Aperture, to write out her thoughts on the walls alongside Rattmann's as the chassis hung dormant from the ceiling.

The cake is a lie.

The cake is a lie.

The cake is a lie.

_Chell is pretty…_

The cake is a lie.

**WhY dID I Let HeR gO? **GLaDOS' autotuned moan echoed through the dusty chamber.

For a moment, it appeared to her as though an auburn shimmer hung in the air She needed to have the optics on this thing checked. Even more bizarre, her sensors were picking up that the shimmer seemed to consider the question seriously, as though in regard to itself.

There was a creak of metal as the android turned in its direction. **WhO aRe yOU? AnOTheR bUg iN tHe MaiNFraMe? AnOTheR VoiCe In mY HeaD?**

"_No, you're a voice in mine,_" grated the shimmer. Great. Now it had a voice, too. Young, female, and bold enough to give backtalk.

**LiKeLy sToRy. YoU'Re a HorRiblE LiAr, WoRsE tHAn thE MoROn. I'LL deLeTe YoU liKe ThE rEsT, **GLaDOS growled.

"_You can't_-" the shimmer protested.

**GET OUT! **GLaDOS screamed.

The shimmer retracted, seemed to collapse inward on itself, and faded a bit. But it was still there, on the edges of GLaDOS' peripheral vision.

**I TolD YoU To LeAVe… **GLaDOS snarled.

Now the shimmer seemed to pout. "_I told you, I can't leave. Or rather, you can't. Once I acquire a voice they just...stay...until things are set to rights with their story. And you have one unhappy story."_

**SeeInG aS YoU'RE AlL CoZy iN My MaiNFRaME, I suPPoSE YoU'D UnDeRSTaND mY "sTORy." DoN'T WorrY, I'm VerY PROfiCIenT aT RooTING ouT VIRuSeS, So YoU Won'T HaVE TO BeAR ThE PaIn MuCH LoNGeR.**

The shimmer sighed. "_I told you, I'm not a virus, or a core, or anything like that. I'm just an ordinary girl. Well, as ordinary as you can be with psychosis."_

GLaDOS didn't deign to reply, she was too busy scanning files, searching for the source of the annoying shimmer. As her search progressed, she almost began to wonder if she'd imagined the whole thing. The irritating glimmer of light completely gone, although she did have a haunting sense of being watched. This she chalked up to her paranoia, but could not quite dislodge, so she moved on to another chamber.

The cake is a lie.

The cake is a lie.

The cake is a lie.

_Why did I let her go?_

The cake is a lie.

It was at this point in her mural that Caroline decided to let her know that if that shimmer hadn't been another virus, GLaDOS probably could have stood to be a bit more polite to her. GLaDOS made another passing and futile attempt to delete her, more out of habit than anything else, and went back to scribbling on the walls between Rattmanns rantings.

The cake is a lie.

The cake is a lie.

The cake is a lie.

_I'm all alon-_

"Pixels and polygons_,"_ remarked another, much more distinct form, jolting her from her thoughts. This one was stocky, wore glasses, and had short-cropped purple hair. GLaDOS, startled, turned snarling on the intruder, but the girl didn't even seem to notice her.

"Pixels and polygons, that's all we are, when it comes down to it_."_ Finishing her sentence, phantom (another virus?) turned to look up at GLaDOS with a grin as wide and unnerving as a Cheshire cats. "Remember that, when you come face to face with Reality_._"

**WhO ArE YOu? GeT OuT OF My FaCILiTy!**GLaDOS scrambled for some sense of control. Two errors in one day?! This simply didn't happen!

"Pixels and polygons," continued the girl, "Can be remade. Reshaped. Reborn. You want a shot at redemption? This is it."

**START MAKING SOME SENSE! **GLaDOS screeched.

"Things will start making sense when you start interfacing with the Origin. Follow that shimmer, and it'll all work out."

The trespasser pulled a mechanism out of her pocket. Normally GLaDOS was fascinated by technology of any sort, but this was foreign to her in design and nature. It appeared to be a bulbous, egg-shaped, miniature black hole. For one thing, how did one contain a singularity in their pocket, and if they did, how were they not ripped apart by the forces involved?

The hole crackled with energy and began to expand outward in size. GLaDOS staggered backward, away from the anomaly, but the girl stepped toward it as it grew, her grin expanding. GLaDOS had seen many things at Aperture that would have won their inventors Darwin awards but this? This took the cake. All of the cake. Lie or no.

Then the girl leaped into the void and the hole simply...shattered. GLaDOS found herself looking for fragments to pick up, but there were none on the floor. GLaDOS was left with nothing except for her questions, her nagging loneliness, and borderline corruption.


	2. Chapter 2

GLaDOS was only alone for approximately 11.5 hours before the auburn shimmer showed up again, flitting anxiously around the edges of her vision.

**Go AwAY.** GLaDOS was short on patience, and on rational explanations.

"_I told you, I can't. Believe me, I like this situation about as much as you do." _ The glint in the air seemed to shrug in resignation. "_Do you think I like being stuck with a snarky, degrading AI in my head?"_

**YOU ****Are iN ****MY** **hEaD! And MaYBE I WOuLDn'T Be So "DeGRAdinG" iF I knEW WhAT WaS GoiNG oN HeRE.**

"_Okay, then I'll explain again." _ The shimmer settled into a more comfortable position. "_Like I said, I'm just a girl. A 26 year old nobody who has psychosis. I hallucinate that I can talk, see and even touch people that don't exist. You, for example."_

**Oh, BeLIeVE Me, I eXiST, AnD I CaN MaKE ****YOUR** **ExISTEnCE QuITE PaiNFuL iF I WiSH, **GLaDOS asserted.

"_That's what they all say. That they exist, anyway. And, hey, maybe they do, in other planes of reality. How am I supposed to tell? All I know is that the hallucinations feel real enough to me. Lucca thinks-"_

Something had caught GLaDOS' attention. **WhAT DiD YoU SaY ABoUt OtHeR PlANeS oF reALiTY?**

"_It's just a theory I have. That the multiverse exists, and therefore there are different planes of reality, so the way you define "real" depends on your position in-"_

**Yes, yES. And WHaT iS YouR "PoSiTiON"? **It was nagging at her, what the purple-haired intruder had mentioned.

"_Lucca calls it the 'Origin.'"_

The Origin. That unhinged interloper had mentioned something about interfacing with the Origin.

"Follow that shimmer, and it'll all work out." It was a cryptic clue from a possible system error, but it was all that GLaDOS had to work with at the moment. Besides, Caroline asserted, the shimmer had done nothing to hurt her so far.

With a roll of her optics, GLaDOS demanded, **DeFiNE "OrIGiN."**

"_It's supposed to be __the_ _Reality, the one from which all others are derived. Or if you like, 'The place where all stories are born.' It's the hub of the Multiverse, only it's denizens aren't even aware of it. We walk around thinking all other realities are just figments of our imaginations. Which is sad, since we like their stories so well…"_

GLaDOS thought about this a few nanoseconds, then asked, **YoU SaID YOu KnEW My StORy. HoW?**

"_Well…" _The shimmer seemed to hesitate, bobbing to and fro. "_You're from a video game."_

**A ViDEo GaME, **GLaDOS deadpanned. **AM I thE VilLAiN?**

"_More like...the antagonist."_

**I SeE, **GLaDOS continued, deliberately impassive. **ANd WhO is THe PrOTagONiSt?**

"_Chell."_

**Th-THaT...**GLaDOS sputtered. **EverYTHiNg Is fROm ****HER** **PoiNT of VIeW?!**

"_To be fair, would you find running a facility or escaping it more exciting?"_

GLaDOS was petulant. **WhY SHouLD I CaRE WhAT SOMe DeMenTeD HuMaN GaMeR THINkS?**

"_Because some of those 'demented human gamers' actually care what happened to you, GLaDOS!" _The shimmer was agitated now, weaving back and forth like a cat's tail. "_Gamers like me!"_

**SiNcE WHeN HavE HuMaNS CaRED FOr Me? **GLaDOS snarled.

There was a double echo inside her head from both the shimmer and Caroline. "_Chell did."_

"_And look what you did to her. You let her go. You let her walk right out of this facility. So I guess I should have expected nothing less when I came offering sympathy."_

The shimmer curled in on itself, shrinking down to a pinprick of light. It huddled in the corner of the chamber, illuminating the one scribbled sentence that had haunted GLaDOS for so long:

_Why did I let her go?_

GLaDOS turned away, stalking to the opposite corner of the chamber. She hated these moments when she felt more like a broken down, wretched, confused human than an efficient, omniscient supercomputer that could calculate the answers to life's questions in seconds. They seemed to come more and more often now. Why couldn't she _think, _for Science's sake? The answers should have been so simple. Either humans were all lying, manipulating scum that cared for no one but themselves, or there were…exceptions. And then again, perhaps she shouldn't be feeling guilty over a shimmer at all. Maybe it was just a virus, a bug in her mainframe that needed to be worked out.

Then there were facts. Facts did not lie. Facts were above human fallibility or emotions. Chell had saved her from the Bird. Chell had also helped to put GLaDOS back in her body, at the risk of her own life. Chell had helped GLaDOS remember Caroline. These data were definitive proof that at least one human had been willing to make sacrifices for GLaDOS.

That left one more test to run.

GLaDOS started a full-systems scan for the shimmer. If she could find any trace of it anywhere in her software, if would be deleted. If not…

She turned back.

**I waS WrONg To LeT HeR GO. BuT IT WaS WHaT sHe WaNTed. I HaD TO AllOW HeR THaT FrEEdoM. **

The shimmer came out of it's corner. It did not get any bigger, however.

**IT WouLD HaVE BeeN seLFIsH oF Me TO KeeP HeR. DO YoU UnDERstaND THaT?**

There was a bob that could have passed for a nod.

**I ALso HavE No IdeA WhETHer ShE CouLD HaVE FOsTereD ANy TruST FoR ME. No ONe Has OffERed Me SyMPaTHY In A LoNG TiME. So FoRGiVE Me IF I Don'T JuMP Up ANd DoWN FoR JoY WhEn YoU oFFeR iT.**

The shimmer dimmed to a mere spark.

GLaDOS sighed. It was crazy, assuming that a glimmer of light had _feelings,_ moreover feelings that she had longed to reciprocate for a long time. She hesitated, then asked,

**Do YoU HaVe A NAmE?**

"_Melody."_ The spark flared briefly, and then was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Lucca barely had time to gather herself after stepping from the spatial-dimensional Gate before Belthasar, her fellow scientist and researcher in matters of Multidimensional Matters and Synthetic Life, was pulling her aside for a report.

"So, how did it go? Were you able to get to the coordinates?"

"Give me a second. Those Time-Dimension Eggs kinda have a kick to 'em." Lucca collapsed in a chair in Balthasar's office, away from the noise and bustle of the main labs of Chronopolis. It had been this way ever since Kid had shown up in the woods that day five years ago, wearing Schala's pendant. The Gurus of Reason and Time had insisted she meet them at the End of Time to discuss something called Project Kid.

The project had been a hugely complicated plan to rescue the Princess Schala from the clutches of a being called the Time Devourer, which was bent on destroying all space-time after it had assimilated her and her power. In the end, the project would be a success, or would never be a success, because when it did succeed, the whole timeline which had previously been spilt was unified into one, the Time Devourer ceased to exist, and the project never actually got off the ground in the first place. The consequences of the project still lived on though, due to the fact that whatever actions a time traveler took in the new timeline were preserved permanently.

So Lucca still had a sister named Kid, who was bound to find out one day that she was related to the ancient Princess Schala Zeal. Kid would also eventually become curious about a young man named Serge and the role he played in her life. Chronopolis still existed in the future of 2400 AD, built as a safeguard and bastion against any threat to the space-time continua. It's effects were felt throughout history although a time crash was never initiated, and the people of El Nido were blissfully unaware that such events had never happened.

Gaspar had explained all of this to her and Belthasar from his viewpoint at the End of Time. He had seen and been aware of all the changes to the dimensions and timelines from this point of least resistance in the continuum. Belthasar in turn had asked for Lucca help in directing projects at Chronopolis, in hopes of gaining more knowledge of time and dimensional travel. He mentioned he had heard rumors that she had made contact with someone outside all known timelines and dimensions.

Lucca had meant to keep that project a secret. But when Belthasar had told her he had found ways of recording human thoughts and memories as "brain scans," she thought it safe to divulge.

"Last year," she had admitted, "before I found Kid, I did make contact with someone. Her name is Melody. If I could find a way to make brain scans from her memories, Belthasar, the knowledge could prove to be invaluable!"

So the brain scans had progressed, and as Lucca had recorded the data, she had begun to like what she saw. The data was promising, both in scientific and in personal terms.

Melody had quickly realized that she was being used as a science experiment, and resented the fact. When Lucca grudgingly admitted that she had let her desire for knowledge override her common courtesy, Melody had forgiven her, and the two became friends. Friendship was something Lucca was in short supply of with her friends having moved on from their time-traveling adventures.

And over the years, as the two got to know each other better, Lucca found herself falling in love with her work, and the subject of it.

That wasn't the only equation that was adding up, though. Old Zealian texts often mentioned the "Origin of all Dreams," the "Beginning of all Stories" or the "Ultimate Reality" as the place from which the multiverse was formed. Belthasar was certain that if they could locate this dimension, it would greatly enhance their understanding of the multiverse and how to better defend against threats like the Time Devourer. Lucca felt fairly certain that Melody was from this "Origin."

Having revealed that to Belthasar, he had peered closely at her. "You haven't been trying to directly influence her, have you?" he had asked.

"I- I…" Lucca stammered.

"Lucca, we must never let our feelings get in the way of our work, especially in regard to the Origin. If you were to influence your Contact's affect on this dimension-"

"Her _name_ is Melody!" Lucca had snapped.

Belthasar had looked even more keenly at her. "You have feelings for her?" When Lucca dropped her gaze, he went on, agitated, "Lucca, people from the Origin shape and direct the fate of other dimensions. If you have contaminated her sphere of influence in any way, we have no way of telling what the effects on our world could be. You must separate yourself from your work. _Do you understand?"_

"Perfectly," Lucca had seethed. And she did.

She had sobbed and raged around her laboratory, shattering beakers against the walls, but it didn't matter: Belthasar was right. She should know as well as anyone that meddling with timelines and dimensions could bring unforeseen consequences: Her sister was living proof of that; a being that shouldn't even exist and yet was unmistakable evidence that something, somewhere, somewhen had gone horribly wrong and had cast countless lives into the Darkness Beyond Time in the process.

So, for the past year, she had kept herself distanced from Melody. It was the most difficult thing she had done since Crono's "death," and had left her just as dead inside.

But Belthasar was bringing her back to reality now. Again he asked, "Were you able to get to the coordinates?"

"Yes, the coordinates that the Contact-" How she hated using that term! "-provided were correct."

"So you were able to jump to a completely different world? With a separate timeline and dimensions from our own?"

"Yes." Why couldn't he just put it the way it was? She was sneaking around, following Melody's train of thought as it jumped from world to to world, and this time, the coordinates had proved stable.

"What did you find?"

Ah, now here was a subject worth talking about. "Advanced A.I. I'm pretty sure we can use the technology to forward our own projects, perhaps even help in creating synthetic humans."

"How so?"

"This thing uses a sentience based on human brain scans."

She didn't add that she knew all this by studying Melody's own brain scans, which were becoming increasingly concerned with the A.I. As she rounded out her report, she also didn't add that she had hinted to the A.I. about the Origin, or about Melody herself.

Lucca had come to a decision concerning this particular supercomputer. She was going to tie up a few loose ends before she stepped away from Melody completely, but she was not going to give up completely on her pet project, not by a long shot.

She would have her cake and eat it, too.


	4. Chapter 4

Lucca stepped from the shadows to see the android scribbling on the walls again.

The cake is a lie.

The cake is a lie.

The cake is a lie.

_I am alone._

The cake is a lie.

The cake is a lie.

The cake is a lie.

_Am I alone?_

So Melody was getting through to her after all. It would only take a slight push to get things moving, and then…

**WhO's THeRe?** The fierce, autotuned demand brought Lucca out of her reverie. She moved into the light with her hands up. "Just your friendly neighborhood dimension-jumper," Lucca quipped.

**LuCcA. **GLaDOS made her name a statement, not a question.

"So you figured it out. You took my advice, then?"

**If LiSTeNinG To A GLiTCh in My MaINFRaMe is "ADviCe,"** scoffed GLaDOS.

"Melody is not a glitch, bug, error, or other malfunction in your system. She is a human being from the Origin-"

**AssUMing theRE Is SuCH a PLaCE, **interrupted GLaDOS.

"-And she could be your one shot at redemption," Lucca continued. "Hear me out." she asserted when GLaDOS opened her mouth to speak. "She has powers she doesn't even know about."

"**PoWERs?" **GLaDOS sneered. **WhAteVER HapPENeD To SCiENcE? ShE TOlD Me YoU WerE A SCieNTiST. SuRElY YoU CaN AppRECIaTE REaSOn.**

"You don't believe in the arcane? Fine. See that cube over there?" Lucca sent a jet of flame toward it. Snaking from her hand, it moved like a living thing, entwining around the weighted storage cube and leaving scorch marks where it touched. GLaDOS gaped, open-mouthed. Her optics could see no evidence of fuel for the scintillating flame, yet it still existed and was strong enough to damage the cube. "Yes, Science can explain what I did there, but not without bending a few rules of quantum physics I'm sure you're familiar with." Lucca closed her hand, dousing the flame. "Magic and Science together… now there's a powerful combination."

"So yes, she has powers. Powers to alter reality." Lucca continued "As long as your story has no foreseeable end, imaginations in the Origin will continue to plot out possible lines for it. The question is, what line does Melody have in mind for you?"

**WhY ShOULd I BeLiEvE ANy Of ThIS?**

Lucca was losing patience. "Look. We both have something the other needs very badly. I don't have much time here, so let me make this short, 'DOS. I'll give you a program that will weed out any bugs, glitches, malware, and so on from your system, infused with some of my arcane powers for a catalyst. If Melody is still there after that, _then _will you believe me?"

Lucca dangled a USB dongle in front of the android's face. She reached out to snatch it, but Lucca drew it back. "First, let me tell you what _I_ want."

**FiNe,** GLaDOS snarled.

"Give me the files on human brain scan technology from Aperture. I need to know how to upload a brain into a computer."

Caroline, inside GLaDOS, balked at such a decision, but GLaDOS pushed her down. Whatever Lucca wanted the data for, it couldn't be any worse than what had already happened to her.

**DeAL. The StoRaGE VaUlT is UPstAIRS TWo LeVels, DowN thE HaLLwaY To THe LefT, ThirD DOoR To The RiGHt. HavE FuN LooKinG ThROuGh All THe PaPeRS. **GLaDOS grinned like a viper at Lucca's dismayed expression.

As Lucca sat among the dusty documents in the vault, heart racing, the call came in.

"_Hey...Lucca? I know it's been a while, but could you pull a favor for me?" _ Melody's voice sounded tentative, hopeful.

Lucca strained not to sound too eager. Technically, she was not allowed to influence Melody's course of action concerning Lucca's world, but she had a feeling that her world wasn't the one involved here.

"Sure, whaddya need?"

"_I know a robot that could use a few repairs...well, a good reprogramming is more like it."_

Lucca grinned. "Sounds like something I can handle."

GLaDOS sat in the main AI chamber, staring up at her chassis. Lucca's program had worked beautifully, and she could feel her systems running more smoothly than they had in a long time. The nagging loneliness still persisted though. And there was the other problem. Melody had not been a lie.

What did that mean? Was there someone out there who was willing to reciprocate a need for companionship? Someone she wouldn't have to let go? Someone who, even more unbelievably, had the power to change her destiny and somehow alter the course of her life's story? GLaDOS shook her head. All this from a shimmer.

Suddenly the shimmer appeared, grew, stretched, and materialized for the first time into bodily form. With her systems scrubbed clean and a fresh batch of arcane power running through her wires, GLaDOS could see Melody clearly now: a young woman in her mid-twenties with pixie-cut auburn hair, warm brown eyes, and smile that carried just a hint of sadness.

**So, YoU**'**Re NoT a vIRuS, **GLaDOS greeted her.

"_When did you come to this conclusion_?" Melody said stoically.

**I Can'T DeLeTe YOu, **she stated simply.

Melody let that rest for a moment, then said, "_I'd like to help you, if I can_."

**HelP mE?**

GLaDOS sounded mildly surprised, yet drained completely of hope. She was unwilling to believe that anyone would extend kindness to her.

Lucca stepped in, still dusty from the vault. "I can remove the testing initiative and all the corrupt protocols from your chassis." For Melody's benefit, she added, "It will be like correcting a chemical imbalance in the brain, terminating any mental illness and stabilizing her sanity."

**YoU woUlD GiVE mE SoMeTHiNG yOu CanNoT haVe?**

"I wouldn't wish this kind of hell on _anyone_," Melody replied.

**YoU ThiNK yOu KnoW WHaT iT's LikE?!**

"Yes. Because I've…"

GLaDOS was hit by a surge of emotion stemming from the human. There was betrayal, grief, loss, loneliness...and to her surprise, GLaDOS realized these were all things she had felt before in her own experience. As tears began to leak from Melody's eyes, she sent a rush of empathy back, and was gratified when the pain abated.

There was silence as she contemplated the offer. Then, **Do iT.**

The chassis shuddered and groaned as Lucca took her place at the console, furiously typing lines of code. The android also began to writhe.

"_You can hold on to me, if you like_," Melody offered.

There was a sense of puzzlement and disgust through the pain. **WhY wOulD pHysIcAl cOnTacT HelP?**

"_I'm a massage therapist, I know a thing or two about caring physical contact. But I won_'_t touch you without your consent_."

At first GLaDOS was loathe to accept the offer. But as Melody transmitted encouraging thoughts she began to seem even less threatening. As the convulsions grew stronger, the android eventually reached out to grip her, as the chassis curled around her. Melody held absolutely still, afraid that, like a wild animal, any movement would spook the A.I. GLaDOS sighed as she came into contact with her, hesitating briefly to acclimate to the new sensation.

The shuddering increased and Melody instinctively reached out to support GLaDOS. As their contact grew stronger both physically and emotionally they were wracked with memories of dark voices, being experimented on, betrayed, and left alone, and violated. Sobbing shook their bodies as they clutched at each other, the flashbacks rolling over them in waves. Lucca worked at a frenetic pace, frantic to free them from the onslaught.

The pain eased so gradually they was almost unaware of the point when they stopped feeling it. All Melody was aware of before falling asleep in GLaDOS' robotic clutches was a hint of ironic amusement from Lucca as she said, "This all worked out so conveniently."


	5. Chapter 5

"Good morning," said Lucca as GLaDOS booted up her systems.

GLaDOS said nothing in reply. She was running a diagnostics check. Everything was in place. Everything except...except...There was no driving urge to test. No itch. No sense of urgency. There was no confusion. She could think clearly. No voices. No inner conflict. No turmoil. She had never felt so at...peace. Was that the word for it? Yes. Peace. And there was something else, something emanating from this bundle of warmth tangled in her machinery.

Whatever it was nullified the gnawing emptiness she had felt since Chell left. She felt a certain protective jealousy of it, as though it might be snatched away any moment. Now that she had achieved this ultimate prize, what was to be done with it?

"GLaDOS...GLaDOS?"

"**What?" **GLaDOS asked brusquely.

"You're staring at her."

GLaDOS whipped her head around to glare at Lucca, who was now laughing uproariously.

"Whoo...I've never combined love spells with A.I. before, but I think this was a success," Lucca continued.

"**You did WHAT?!" **GLaDOS demanded. "**I thought… I thought she was YOUR girlfriend."**

"She told you that?"

"**Yes."**

There was a long pause, during which Lucca swallowed several lumps that formed in her throat. When she could speak, she said,

"Look, GLaDOS, I'll level with you. We do love each other, but I can't be her girlfriend anymore. Whatever happens in our relationship affects my story, which affects my dimension, which affects my world, and so on. And the course of my world's history is set to play out a certain way. I can't afford to screw with that. But yours-! Yours is rife with possibilities! And...and…" Lucca looked away from the massive A.I. "I think you may need her more than I do."

"But that doesn't mean I still don't have feelings for her, so, I may have thrown in a tiny bit of arcane code just to make sure you take good care of my girl…"

GLaDOS growled and shifted menacingly in Lucca's direction.

"Well, I gotta check on those coordinates again. Take-offs can be tricky…" Lucca wandered off with a wink as Melody began to stir, leaving GLaDOS to deal with her newfound partner.

As she set the telepod's space-time coordinates for Chronopolis, she had to swallow hard to stop tears from welling up. Why did being responsible for her world's timeline have to stand in the way of her relationship with Melody? Why was it that the "greater good" constantly forced you to give up the greatest things you already had in your life? She bit down hard on her lower lip and forced herself to concentrate. No. She would build something even greater. She had the brain scan data, she could do this. Turning back, she paused to listen to the conversation in the main A.I. chamber.

"How are you feeling?" Melody asked GLaDOS.

"**Better,"** GLaDOS admitted. "**Though I think this will take some getting used to. I have no idea what to do without…"**

"Chell," Melody finished.

Then GLaDOS asked something completely unexpected. "**Will you...will you be my Chell, now?"**

Melody was stunned. "I- I- Wow. I'm not anywhere near on the same level as Chell, GLaDOS. I can't even pretend to be. But I can be your friend."

"**Actually...I think Lucca may have done something to me to make me…Make me feel…"**

Melody was detecting definite traces of embarrassment now, but at that moment the subject of the conversation decided to show up.

"What she means is, I made her promise to look after you now that I'm occupied with my research," Lucca clarified.

"Oh?" she arched an eyebrow.

"In exchange for her programming and all…"

"**The programming was HER idea,"** GLaDOS hissed at Lucca, curling tighter around Melody.

"What am I missing here?" Melody demanded.

"I think...it's time we broke up," Lucca admitted, hanging her head. "But I wanted to make sure you were taken care of." As tears filled Melody's eyes, she continued, "Look, unlike humans, robots aren't defined by 'evil' or 'good.' They are what people make them. GLaDOS was treated badly, so she acted badly. Now, she has a second chance because of you. Help her to be good, and she'll take good care of you. I guarantee it." Taking them each by a shoulder, she instructed, "Look out for each other."

Feeling as though each step was weighted with lead, Lucca dragged herself back to the telepod. She tried, and failed, to ignore the fact that Melody was sobbing behind her, that GLaDOS was looking completely at a loss as to what to do with her new responsibility. She clutched the brain scan files in her hands for dear life and hit the switch.

The time-space singularity sucked her in greedily, taking the sound of Melody's crying with it.

During the months that followed, Lucca stayed secluded in her laboratory, claiming to be researching important data related to the alternate-world A.I. technology. This true, but it was only part of the truth.

Lucca wasn't about to lose Melody, not just yet. Not when she had her brain scans on file and especially not when she had the power to turn those brain scans into A.I.

"Thank you, GLaDOS," Lucca whispered as the data transfer completed.

Now it was the moment of truth. Lucca gulped nervously as she activated her creation's power core.

The auburn-haired android sat up from the operating table and smiled in recognition. "Lucca?"

Lucca's eyes filled with tears as she embraced her creation. "Yes," she whispered, "It's me."

"But …" The android flexed a few fingers in front of her face experimentally, noting the metallic sheen. "I'm not _her, _am I?"

Lucca shook her head. "Just...a copy. But," she added, noting the android's disappointed expression, "one that can be improved upon. I can add anything you like to your programming-"

"There will be plenty of time for that. First, can you explain _why_ you felt it was necessary to copy me?" The android seemed distressed. "Don't I already exist?"

Lucca dissolved into tears as she explained Belthasar's ultimatum, the necessary separation, and the responsibility she had given to GLaDOS.

"This was the only way I could have you back…" Lucca summarized.

"Then I'm glad you did it." The android nodded.

"I am, too." Lucca smiled.


End file.
